Wire nail



H. J. STONE Dec. 31, 1935.

Patented Dec. 31, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to wire nails used to nail asbestos or artificial shingles to a wooden structure including previously laid wood shingles which have become practically useless by age. The invention relates also to wire dowels adapted to be driven into wood heels to reinforce the same.

Nails embodying the invention are driven through holes formed in the asbestos shingles and through the wood shingles into a backing structure.

The old wocxi shingles are usually in such condition that the nail portions driven through the same and into the backing should have a high degree of holding power.

One object of the invention is to provide a wire nail so formed that the portions thereof which engage the wood shingles and the backing, impart to'the nail a holding power not heretofore attained, without weakening the nail by objectionably reducing its diameter or cross sectional area at any point.

Another object is to provide as an equivalent of a wire nail characterized as above stated, a wire dowel similarly charatcerized and adapted to be driven into a hole formed for its reception in a high and attenuated wood heel for shoes.

The invention consists in the improved nail or its specified equivalent hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,-'

Figure 1 is a side view of a nail embodying the invention, the nail as shown being about twice the actual size. a

Figure 2 is a fragmental section on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlargement of a portion of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional perspective Y view similar to a portion of Figure 2.

Figures 5 and 6 are fragmental sectional views showing modifications.

Figure 7 is a side view of a dowel constituting an equivalent of the nail shown by Figure 1. Figure 8 shows a barbed wire nailnot embodying the invention.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

The wire nail shown by Figure 1 has a head I2 and a point l3. The nail shank or body includes an outer portion l4 extending inward from the head and an inner portion l5 extending from the outer portion to the point.

The surface metal of the inner portion I5 (which is the holding portion of the nail) is distributed by the action of suitable dies or forming means, to provide said portion with a plurality of -barbs each having an annular holding face It confronting the head l2 and located in a plane at right angles with the longitudinal axis of the nail, '5 said face being adapted to so engage, wood into which the nail is driven as to effectively resist withdrawal or outward movement of the nail.

The inner margin of the holding face It; has a diameter less than the normal diameter of the 10 wire of which the nail is made. The outer margin of the holding face has a diameter considerably greater than said normal diameter.

Each barb has a peripheral inner face ll, ex tending from the outer margin of the holding 15 face toward the nail point I3.

The larger end of the peripheral face I! intersects the outer margin .of the holding face It at an acute angle, and defines said margin.

The metaldistributing means forming the barbs 20 imparts to the peripheral face a frusto-conical outer portion a whose larger end intersects the outer margin of the holding face at an acute angle and is outside-the normal diameter of the wire, and an inner portion b wholly within said 25 normal diameter and extending from the outer portion a. toward the nail point. The outer por- I tion a is flared or inclined outward from the inner portion b and imparts a. suitable width and holding power to the holding face. Said barbs are formed by displacement of surface metal imparting to the inner extremity of the portion b a diameter which does not involve an objectionable weakening of the nail. The outer portion a is flared or inclined outward from the portion b to 35 such an extent that the width, holding power, and outward projection of the holding face Hi from the axis of the nail is greater than would be possible if the entire inner face l1 were straight as in a true cone frustum, unless the 40 smaller end of the said face were formed to enter the wire so deeply. as to objectionably reduce the cross section of the wire and weaken the nail. Figure 8 shows a barbed portion of a-wire nail such as has been heretofore proposed, the wire 45 being of the diameter indicated by Figures 1 and 2. The peripheral faces of the barbs are longitudinallystraight as in a true cone frustum, and not flared outwardly at their outer ends. It will be seen that if the holding faces of the nail shown 50 by Figure 8 have the same outward projection and holding poweras the faces l6 shown by the other figures the cross sectional area of the wire at the inner ends of the inner facesmust be considerably reduced, and the nail objectionably 55 weakened as may with Figure 2.

A nail intended for the purpose hereinbefore stated must be of relatively small diameter, and the diameter of the smaller ends of the portions b must be as large as possible to avoid weakening the nail.

The faces I 7 are preferably curved from end to end as shown by Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4. The portion I) may be longitudinally straight and concentric with the axis of the wire as shown by Figure 5, the portion a standing at an obtuse angle with the portion b. Figure 6 differs from Figure in that the or frusto-conical. Figure 7 shows a wood heel dowel which may resemble the inner portion I5 and has no head and point.

The dowel when driven into a hole formed for its reception in a wood heel, the hole being of such diameter that the dowel has a tight driving fit therein, is adapted to have a strong engagement with the heel. It will be seen that the inner portion b of said peripheral face has a diameter nearly equal to the normal diameter of the body, so that the body isnot objectionably weakened be seen by comparing Figure 8 by the formation of said inner portion. The

inner portion of the peripheral face b of each barb, excepting the inner one, intersects the inner margin of the holding face l6 of the next lower barb.

I claim:

1. A wire nail or its specified equivalent, composed of a cylindrical wire body whose surface metal is distributed to form a plurality of barbs each including an annular holding face confronting the outer end of the body, and in a plane substantially at right angles with the longitudinal axis thereof, each barb including also a peripheral face composed of a substantially frusto-conical outer portion whose larger end intersects the portion 11 is slightly inclined outer margin of the holding face at an acute angle, and a substantially cylindrical inner portion concentric with said longitudinal axis, and of less than said normal diameter, the inner portion of the peripheral face of each barb, excepting the inner one, intersecting the inner margin of the holding face of the next barb, and extending from the outer portion of the peripheral face toward the inner end of the body, said outer portion being flared or inclined outwardly. from the inner portion, so that the outer margin of said holding face is located outside the normal diameter of the body, said inner face portion having a diameter nearly equal to and less than the normal diameter of the body, sothat the body is not objectionably weakened thereby.

2. A wire nail or its specified equivalent, composed of a cylindrical wire body, portions of the surface metal of which are distributed to form a plurality of barbs each including a peripheral face having a frusto-conical outer portion concentric with the longitudinal axis of the body, flared or inclined outwardly from said axis and defining the outer margin of an annular holding face confronting the outer end of the body and located in a plane substantially at right angles with the longitudinal axis thereof, the outer margin of said holding face being outside, and its inner margin within, said normal diameter, the peripheral face of each barb having also a substantially cylindrical inner portion concentric with said longitudinal axis, located wholly within the said normal diameter, and extending from the flared outer portion toward the inner end of the body, said inner portion having a diameter nearly equal to and less than the normal diameter of the body, so that the body is not objectionably weakened thereby.

HERMAN JAMES STONE. 

